Former Head Post Office, 24-28 (Even Nos) Crown Street And 21-29 (Odd Nos) Dee Street

Former Head Post Office, 24-28 Crown Street and 21-29 Dee Street

A three-storey and attic Scots Baronial former Head Post Office designed by William Thomas Oldrieve, assisted by James Cumming Wynnes, and constructed between 1904 and 1907. The building was converted to flats and extended by Maclachlan Monaghan Architects around 1999. The original structure features asymmetrical elevations to Crown Street and Dee Street, now linked by a circa 1999 four-storey, eight-bay wing.

The building is constructed in granite ashlar with harled walls to the rear. It is defined by characteristic Scots Baronial features: a base course, cill course at ground floor, corbelled eaves course, and a crenellated parapet with corbelled bartisans. Crowstepped gables punctuate the roofline. Windows are predominantly mullioned and transomed with roll-moulded and chamfered arrises and raked cills. Some smaller openings are set within bracketed, columned and carved pedimented aedicules.

The Crown Street elevation is asymmetrical, comprising roughly eight bays in a stepped arrangement following the street line. A three-bay centre features a crowstepped gabled entrance bay containing an advanced entrance porch with iron gates and decorative cast-iron arch infill within a round-arched opening. This is flanked by banded and engaged Doric columns beneath an open segmental pediment carved with a coat of arms. A four-light canted oriel window rises at the third floor. Flanking the entrance bay, bracketed and balustraded balconies serve a tripartite window at first floor, topped with an elaborately carved pediment. To the left of centre, a bay contains bipartite windows at ground and first floor within a continuous round-arched architrave and carved infill panel to the arch, with a return entrance featuring a shouldered architrave and round-arched pediment bearing a date plaque. A round tower stands to the far left, with an attic storey containing pedimented windows set within the parapet. To the right of centre, another bay comprises a round tower giving way to a corbelled third floor with crowstepped gable. An outer right bay displays a carved pediment to the second-floor window.

The north elevation (return of Crown Street) features a four-light canted bay at ground floor with recessed entrance and a carved semi-circular infill panel incorporating a clock, all beneath a bracketed and balustraded balcony. Tripartite windows at first and second floors are set within continuous round-arched architraves with carved infill panels between floors and to the arch. A tall corbelled bartizan with conical roof projects to the right.

The Dee Street elevation comprises a regular nine-bay centre flanked by advanced irregular end bays. The centre displays regular fenestration with an advanced doorpiece at its heart, featuring a balustrated and bartizaned parapet and two-leaf panelled timber doors deeply set within a lugged architrave. The doors incorporate a decorative surround to a geometric coloured glass fanlight above. A pedimented two-light oriel window at third floor corbels out to its base. Entrances to the outer bays feature bipartite fanlights within continuous roll-moulded and corniced architraves. The advanced end sections are articulated with bracketed and balustraded balconies at first floor and tripartite windows at first and second floors within continuous round-arched architraves, with carved infill panels between floors and to the arch. A crowstepped gablet projects at the attic to the left. A pend with two-leaf cast-iron gates appears to the right.

The south elevation displays regular fenestration, with a three-bay gable at centre corbelled out at first floor and featuring a wallhead stack. A round tower rises to the right, and a circa 1999 shorter linking section projects to the left.

Windows are predominantly multi-pane timber sash and case with coloured glass to the fanlights of the Dee Street elevation. The pitched roof is covered in grey slates with corniced ridge and end stacks topped with circular clay cans. Stone steps lead to the recessed entrance of the north elevation, flanked by shallow walls and circular piers topped with cast-iron railings and a small lamp standard.